A Unique Holiday Celebration

Instead of the traditional decking of the halls and presents under the Christmas tree, students at Santiam Crossing School leave today for their annual holiday pilgrimage to northern California for a bouldering and rock climbing trip, an experience that offers students a uniquely different holiday experience that creates new and lasting holiday memories.

Here is how one alumni student described her experience in the past:
"This goes out to all of the parents who missed their children dearly last weekend (Christmas). You needn't worry about us. Our Santiam family continues to grow stronger by the day and our holiday proved to be no exception to that statement. I might be wrong, but in my belief, we all learned something over the holidays. We learned that family is not just defined by blood. It's defined by the people who make our surroundings feel like home. It's defined by honesty and the connections that a group of people comes to have with one another. So in a sense, your children, and my close friends, weren't at all separated from their families over Christmas, we were just spending our holidays with extended family, and for right now that is exactly who we need to be with."

Santiam students and staff will be rock climbing and bouldering in an area that is home to some of the best climbing and bouldering the eastern Sierra Mountains have to offer and is just miles away from Mt. Whitney-the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. Students are well prepared for this experience as they have all been working toward becoming certified as Top Rope Climbing Guides as part of the school's Professional Development Certification Program.

"In addition to academic and therapeutic work, we offer our students numerous opportunities to enjoy outdoor adventures like whitewater rafting, mountain biking and climbing. We take those activities one-level higher and also certify our students with adult-level outdoor certifications. This year our students have received numerous certifications including Wilderness First Responder and Swift water Rescue Technicians I. The PDCP program is a great way for our students to connect with professionals and professions that may inspire their future career choices. Plus the students are learning valuable leadership and self-management skills and the self-esteem they experience is tremendous. A bonus is that they can add these certifications to their college applications and job resumes," explained Ryan Sturch, Santiam Crossing School executive director.

While on their adventure, students will also learn some of the history from the local area. They will visit the Manzanar War Relocation Center, one of the internment camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were interned during World War II. Students will be eligible to earn one-half an elective credit for the academic work they will do during the trip.

Santiam Crossing is a therapeutic boarding school for adolescents ages 14 to 18. Students benefit from extensive therapy, a family reunification program, academic credit recovery, an academic-based wilderness adventure program, and an adventure-focused professional development certification program. Santiam Crossing is a great option for adolescents who are struggling with behavioral issues; poor academic achievement; and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, attachment issues, and trauma. The majority of our students are using drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. The average length-of-stay is eight to nine months. Attendance of a therapeutic wilderness program is a pre-requisite for enrollment.